IDF practices scenario of Palestinian being kidnapped by a Jewish settler

An Ephraim anti-tank missile drill simulated a scenario of an abduction of a Palestinian by Israelis in the West Bank on Monday, which provoked opposition among several fighters who asked not to participate in the exercise, as well as members of government, Walla reported.

As part of the exercise that took place in the presence of the Judea and Samaria Division Commander, Maj.-Gen. Nir Lavi, the Chief Intelligence Officer of the Central Command, Colonel Ro'i Tzur, and the Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, Colonel Yaki Dolef, soldiers while acting as settlers, wore vests that read" directed by the enemy," and set fire to vehicles in an Arab village in response to the murder of a Jewish toddler. They also kidnapped a Palestinian, with whom they fled to an Israeli facility. 

Among the forces that were involved in the exercise were fighters from the Dovdevan unit and Shin Bet forces. At the same time, exercises were held that included scenarios of kidnapping soldiers, shooting incidents, and explosive devices, as well as a a terrorist attack in one of the Israeli settlements by Palestinians.

As part of the exercise, an internal message was circulated urging the heads of the councils to advise the public to refrain from committing crimes.

IDF leadership responds to criticism

An IDF spokesman responded to the matter, saying that a scenario simulating settlers as enemies would not be practiced. 

"During a wide-ranging exercise by the Eshkol Division to improve the division’s readiness as well as the defense in the area to ensure the security of the residents, over a hundred different scenarios were practiced, including extreme scenarios," the announcement reads. “The IDF will not practice scenarios simulating settlers as enemies.

In the current case, it was a mistake to mark them with such an inscription, and we apologize for doing that.The IDF has a close relationship with the settlements, and it works to protect them around the clock and in cooperation.”

The National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir: "The report on the exercise conducted by the Central Command, in the framework of which they simulated the 'kidnapping of Arabs by settlers,’ is a delusion and complete madness. While 136 Israeli hostages are being held captive by the Hamas Nazis, the commanding general orders an exercise that propagates blood libel of the settlers and demonizes them. Settlers do not kidnap Arabs.

They are not even suspected of planning anything close to that. On the contrary, Arabs move freely within the settlements in Judea and Samaria without any fear. The existence of such an exercise is blood libel against the settlers, labeling them as violent. I call on Defense Minister Yoav Galant to intervene immediately and investigate the incident. We will not allow such severe misconduct to be overlooked."

MK Limor Son Har Melech stated in response, "When you normalize the statements of members of the security establishment against settlers, the path to seeing the settlers as an enemy is short and exercises simulating the settlers as Arab kidnappers become legitimate. I strongly condemn everyone involved in the practice of this scenario and will make sure to hold an urgent discussion on this in the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee to check how such a despicable exercise took place."